Male Megarhyssa wasps gather at trees or fallen logs where female wasps are emerging in springtime. They seek to inseminate the females by either of two methods - waiting for them to emerge, or actually inserting their abdomens into the hole from which the female will shortly emerge. (Talk about robbing the cradle!)

Male Megharyssa wasp searchs with his antennae for emerging virgin females with which to mate.

Hymenoptera (Latin for membrane wing) is a vast assemblage of insects second only to Coleoptera (beetles) in the number of described species. Hymenoptera number some 115,000 species - of which 18,000 live in North America. Hymenopterans inhabit a wide variety of habitats, and show an incredible diversity in size, behavior, structure and color. Insects & Spiders | Bees & Wasps Index | Bees & Wasps Main | Beetles Index